For
young dogs, stick to 3-4
retrieves at a time maximum, never throwing in the same place
twice (you don't want them going back to an old fall) and learn to quit
right away if he/she tires or slows up in speed or desire.
Always end on a positive note...even if you have to throw a
10-foot bumper to get the happy ending!
Throwing too many retrieves at a time makes a dog lose interest,
thus the dog laying down, dropping the bumper/bird, not coming back,
etc. If you are working on
her going across a little ditch, as in land-water-land, and she does it
correctly, then stop or move on to something else.
Don't repeat in the same place even if it is a failure.
If she doesn't do it, repeat the same scenario but move on down
the ditch a little ways, etc.
Don't
use birds all the time
If she picks them up with no problem you've achieved that.
Train with canvas and vinyl bumpers, birds occasionally.
A young dog can loose interest in bumper work, which is not good
as there will be times when you can use birds or they are accessible.
How
to teach your puppy to hold
Start taking short walks with you new puppy.
As he grows, he will enjoy these walks and automatically pick up
things in his mouth and happily bring them to you.
Walks with other dogs when he is bigger are good, but for this
exercise, it’s just you and your dog.
This time will provide several important facets for his beginning
obedience and retrieving. As
you walk, when the puppy picks up a stick, ball, soda can, etc., call
him happily to you by saying the command “here”.
Usually he’ll come right over to you, knowing he’ll get a
little attention. When he
does, praise him for a moment, and then gently take the object from his
mouth with the command “give”. The
key here is to immediately say, “fetch” and offer the object back to
the puppy’s mouth, say good boy and let the pup run off to play again
carrying the object. In a
few minutes, do the same thing over again, remembering the commands,
give, fetch, and then praise. You’ll
find that in just a few days of this fun play, the pup comes to you much
easier than before, he will start holding the object until you take it
from his mouth, and he learns that “fetch” means to take something
into his mouth again and carry/hold it.
As he progresses, add a little more to it.
When he comes up to you, gently hold the collar, tell him to sit,
then “good boy”, then the give and fetch routine.
Next step is to move this fun game into your yard work, using a
bumper for carrying, then doing the give and the fetch.
Once you start throwing marks to practice the retrieve, he’ll
already know what to do and where to go when he picks something up!
You’ll be surprised how much easier they come to you, sit,
give, and fetch again and all you did was to take a fun walk in the
woods with your dog!
I
do this with all my puppies, starting at 8-10 weeks on their short
walks. You don't want them
ever to drop the bumper/bird or spit it out. The ideal thing is to have
the dog return to heel position with the bird held in the mouth until
you take it from them but this is taught in several stages...(Having the
dog come to heel position is important when you get into multiple marks
and handling). Also, if the dog insists on dropping the bumper all the
time, try sitting on the ground, teasing and playing with her.
With bumper in hand, scurry it around on the ground, getting her
to jump at it, grab it and hold it.
Give it a little short fling if necessary to encourage picking it
up and holding it--it's a game to her but one that can help teach.
Let the dog hold it a bit, while you rub them and tell them
“good dog”. One reason a
smart puppy doesn’t come back to you is because they know as soon as
they do, you take their “prize” away!
Only
use one word commands!!!
Heel, sit, give, fetch, and hold, NO, kennel.... Send the dog to
retrieve on her name. Fetch
means to take the bumper. So
if she drops it, you say "fetch"...that is the command to take
it from your hand, off the ground, etc....then you use the word
"hold" while she is sitting, with little taps up under the
chin--this keeps her head up and she can't spit out the bumper....lots
of praising...don't make her hold too long at first...once they know
give, fetch, hold...then you do the force fetching, which is with the
ear pinch and it "only reinforces" the commands that she
knows. Too many people force
the dog to learn the commands with the ear pinch instead of
reinforcing what the dog already knows.
You
must do basic obedience
along with the retrieving ...especially if she is dropping the bird, and
won't come in to you. Do
your retrieving either in the morning when she is not tired and rearin'
to go...or after she has been kenneled...never when she is tired or
after she has ran around the yard for a half hour.
Keep her 'high" and wanting to run!
Do the obedience at a different time or with a lot of time in
between so she is fresh and up for it again.
Reinforce
the Commands
If she knows sit, heel and come, then now you have to "reinforce
them". Just like the
force fetching, teach the commands first, then apply a little pressure
for reinforcement to make her know "she better do it now".
Force
to Sit
Use a long leash and choke chain.
Just keep saying sit, cuff with hand up under the chin if she
goes to come toward you and pull the leash up, holding it tight above
her head till she sits. Don't
go but a few steps away...then try to walk around her, holding the leash
in your left hand, holding it high and straight above her head.
If she moves, you pull straight up, staying No, sit...every
correction is always "no, sit” or "no, come", no hold,
etc. Always the command NO,
then the command for what you want.
After 10 minutes of this drill, you will be amazed.
You should be able to walk around her, tug gently on the leash
while using the Sit command and she will actually sit, and not come to
you, even with the tugging! Always
teach the dog to respond to “voice or sight” commands, not by the
tug of the leash, etc.
Force
to Come
Sit the leash length away. Since
she is now forced to sit (you did this already every day for a week),
then you will do the same with Come...Do not use the dog's name
(obedience classes do this but since in field work her command to
retrieve is her name, you don't use it for anything else but that) So,
it's "come" and quickly pull her hard with the leash to you.
Stay only 3 steps away again at the beginning.
Next time, come, walking quickly back ward 2-3 steps further, and
firmly pull that leash until she runs up facing you and sits.
In fieldwork, she should not walk around to the right behind you
to heel position. When she
is in front, hold your left arm out and say heel.
Take a step or two backwards while you gently pull her with the
leash to your left, and into heel next to you. (All these commands are
in a normal voice, even fetch, no loud screaming, etc.)
You can work on coming to the heel position separate from the
sit, and the come...just start with her sitting in front of you, and
hold out left arm, pull the leash will you say "heel".
Heel means to come in to your left side and sit quietly.
Do not use her name with the heel.
Thank
you Jane Pappler for the use of this article!
Redlion Chesapeakes
